Joey Logano’s victory donuts sent tire smoke across North Wilkesboro after a bruising 450-lap race. A few yards away, Denny Hamlin climbed from the No. 11 Toyota without the trophy but with firm control of the regular season.
This was not the familiar 200-lap All-Star exhibition. NASCAR brought a full points race back to the historic 0.625-mile track for the first time since 1996. Logano owned it, leading 323 laps and beating Hamlin by 0.859 seconds.
Hamlin still delivered the result that mattered most to the championship picture. His runner-up finish increased his lead over Tyler Reddick from 24 points to 68. Only five regular-season races remain before NASCAR sets the 16-driver Chase field.
The pressure has shifted. Hamlin can protect his position by running clean races and collecting stage points. Reddick and the rest of the field now need victories, complete weekends and some trouble for the No. 11.
Hamlin Found Speed When the Track Changed
Logano controlled the race from the front, but Hamlin refused to disappear in the mirror. The No. 11 ranked first in passing and second in overall speed. Its strongest stretch came during the final stage, which ran 175 consecutive laps under green.
That long run placed the race in the hands of the drivers, pit crews and changing track conditions. Tire wear mattered. Traffic became harder to clear. Every slow stop carried the threat of losing a lap on a track where the leaders circulated in roughly 18 seconds.
Hamlin stopped on Lap 359. Logano followed one lap later and returned to the track about 0.5 seconds ahead. That gap proved decisive.
The No. 11 had closed the performance difference by then. Hamlin could remain close during both the short run and the long run, but he never reached a position where he could force a pass without leaning heavily on Logano’s bumper.
“Denny got really good there the last run. Honestly, it was whoever was out front was going to win the race.” Joey Logano
Logano deserved the win. His car had speed throughout the run, and he managed slower traffic without giving Hamlin an opening. Still, the late pressure showed why Hamlin has become so difficult to shake. Even on a night when another team clearly brought the best car, he finished second and collected another heavy points haul.
Reddick’s Mistake Turned the Standings Upside Down
Tyler Reddick entered North Wilkesboro only 24 points behind Hamlin. His championship position began to collapse on Lap 183.
Alex Bowman approached pit entry from the outer lane as the field exited Turn 2. Bowman cut across traffic while trying to reach pit road and moved directly across Reddick’s nose. Both cars spun as the green-flag pit cycle unfolded around them.
The timing made the incident especially damaging. Several contenders lost laps when the caution interrupted the pit sequence. Reddick later compounded the problem with a pit-road speeding penalty.
Instead of limiting the damage, the No. 45 finished 30th and surrendered 44 points to Hamlin in a single night.
Reddick can no longer settle for keeping the No. 11 within sight. A complete weekend now means scoring heavily in both stages, avoiding pit-road errors and fighting for the victory. Under the revised scoring system, a win pays 55 finishing points before any stage points are added. A driver who sweeps both stages and wins can collect 75.
That reward gives Reddick a path back into the fight. It also requires near-perfect execution.
NASCAR’s Chase Reversion Magnifies Hamlin’s Lead
NASCAR abandoned the modern elimination format for 2026 and returned to the framework of the classic Chase system used from 2004 through 2013. The new version contains several important changes.
The top 16 drivers after the 26-race regular season qualify strictly through points. Winning no longer guarantees advancement. Once the Chase begins, all 16 contenders remain eligible across the final 10 races. There are no elimination rounds and no single-race championship finale.
NASCAR resets the regular-season champion to 2,100 points. The second seed begins with 2,075, creating an immediate 25-point cushion at the start of the Chase. Every position after that carries another reduction.
That structure makes Hamlin’s current advantage far more important than simple bragging rights. Finishing first in the regular season gives him protection against an early bad race during the championship run.
Reddick is not merely chasing Hamlin’s current total. He is chasing the 25-point head start that comes with the top seed.
Indianapolis Gives the Field Its Next Opening
Indianapolis Motor Speedway represents the next chance to cut into the lead. The Brickyard has produced speed and frustration for Hamlin in equal measure.
He led 21 laps in 2024 before crashing. A year later, trouble forced him into a backup car and sent him to the rear of the field, yet he recovered to finish third. Hamlin has won at nearly every major venue on the Cup schedule, but Indianapolis remains missing from his record.
Reddick knows how to run near the front there. He led 40 laps and finished second in 2024 before crashing to a 29th-place result in 2025.
Kyle Larson won the 2024 race and finished second the following year. Bubba Wallace returns as the defending winner after leading 30 laps. Ryan Blaney has finished third and seventh in the two races since the Cup Series returned to the oval layout.
Those drivers have the speed to beat Hamlin. Simply finishing ahead of him will not solve the points problem.
Reddick needs to collect stage points and challenge for the win while Hamlin finishes deep in the field. Larson, Blaney and the other contenders require the same combination. A routine Hamlin top-five finish would absorb most of the damage from another driver’s victory.
Hamlin Is Winning the Fight by Surviving It
Nobody has locked up the regular season with five races remaining. A speeding penalty, mechanical failure or crash could erase a large portion of Hamlin’s cushion in one afternoon.
His rivals must first force that opening.
North Wilkesboro showed the difficulty of the task. Logano dominated. Hamlin still finished second. Reddick encountered traffic trouble, sped on pit road and finished 30th. One driver controlled the race, while another strengthened his control of the season.
Right now, Hamlin is dictating the pace not only through raw speed, but through his ability to survive the disorder swallowing the drivers behind him.
Indianapolis may change the standings. Daytona can turn any points lead into debris scattered across the backstretch. Yet every clean Hamlin weekend leaves his challengers with fewer laps, fewer races and less room for recovery.
The No. 11 does not need to dominate every Sunday. At this stage, the desperation belongs to everyone chasing it.
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FAQs
1. How large is Denny Hamlin’s regular-season lead?
Hamlin leads Tyler Reddick by 68 points with five regular-season races remaining before NASCAR sets the Chase field.
2. Why does the regular-season championship matter in 2026?
The regular-season champion starts the Chase at 2,100 points, which is 25 points ahead of the second seed.
3. How many drivers qualify for the 2026 NASCAR Chase?
The top 16 drivers after the 26-race regular season qualify through points. Winning a race no longer guarantees entry.
4. How many points can a NASCAR driver score in one race?
A victory pays 55 finishing points. A driver who wins both stages and the race can earn a maximum of 75.
5. Can Tyler Reddick still catch Denny Hamlin?
Yes. Reddick needs stage points, victories and poor results from Hamlin across the final five regular-season races.
